Yellow journalism was a significant factor in leading public opinion in the United States towards supporting war with Spain. Newspapers in the United States, most notably Joseph Pulitzer's New York World and William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal, raised anti-Spanish sentiment by reporting sensationalized and exaggerated stories about Spanish atrocities in Cuba. They used graphic images and inflammatory headlines to generate widespread public outrage and outrage over the issue. This outrage, in turn, led to public support for US intervention in Cuba and an official declaration of war from Congress in April 1898.
The outcome of the Spanish-American War made the United States a world power in the sense that it gave the US a foothold in Latin America and prestige and influence in international affairs. Through the Treaty of Paris, which concluded the war in December 1898, the US acquired territorial control over the former Spanish colony of Puerto Rico, as well as Guam, the Philippines, and other islands in the Caribbean. This acquisition of international territories marked the beginning of US dominance in the region and a newfound American presence in the world scene. Furthermore, the US victory in the Spanish-American War provided foreign countries with proof of the strength and power of the US military, making the United States a force to be reckoned with.